New On DVD – June 1, 2010
Posted June 1, 2010 12:27 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Wolfman (Blu-ray) CityNews.ca Pick of the Week – Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) left his family home in Blackmoor, England when he was a young boy and never looked back. Years have passed and Lawrence, now working as a theatre actor in America, is summoned back to Blackmoor by his brother’s fiancee, Gwen (Emily Blunt), after his brother, Ben (Simon Merrells), disappears. Upon his return home, Lawrence learns that Ben’s body was discovered in a ditch and the initial belief is that a large animal was responsible. However, some locals suspect a caravan of gypsies that recently arrived in town did the deed, while others fear Ben was the victim of a creature controlled by the moon. Lawrence’s father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), doesn’t appear fazed by the horrendous murder and is more surprised to see “the prodigal son” back home. Unlike the slew of stiff, boring monster films we saw in the early 1990s (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Wolf), The Wolfman didn’t take itself that seriously and got me excited me to see Universal revisit the Frankenstein and Dracula stories in the same manner. The Blu-ray release looks and sounds great and also includes a digital copy of the original 1941 The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Jr. Other special features include an unrated version of the film (which is not recommended due to a glaring continuity flaw from the start), alternate endings, deleted scenes, and more. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Alice in Wonderland (Blu-ray) – The story follows Alice (Mia Wasikowska) nine years after she first went to Underland (or Wonderland as she mistook the name to be). She’s in her late teens now and is being pushed into marrying a young man she can barely stand. During her unexpected engagement party she spots a white bunny in a waist-coat holding a pocket watch. Thinking it to be a strange sight, she follows it into the woods and ends up falling down a rabbit hole and back into Underland. Believing since her first visit that Underland was only a dream she’s shocked and confused to be there and thinks she must be dreaming again. Directed by Tim Burton, I had high expectations for Alice in Wonderland. And while I admit I enjoyed it more on Blu-ray than I did in the theatre (mainly because the 3-D presentation washed out the colour which looks stunning in high-definition) it still didn’t make me jump for joy. I also feel Johnny Depp might have gone overboard with his portrayal of the Mad Hatter and it was scary for younger kids. Special features include 12 making of featurettes, a regular DVD and a digital copy of the film. Film *** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Click here to watch a CityNews.ca interview with Alice in Wonderland star Mia Wasikowska
Life (Blu-ray) – The follow-up to the BBC’s Planet Earth series, Life is just as mesmerizing and beautiful to watch as its predecessor and also boosts a lot of scenes that have never been caught on film before (such as the humpback whale heat run or dolphins flinging mud around to confuse prey). While I do recommend the series, especially on Blu-ray, I urge you to avoid the North American release narrated by Oprah and order the original UK version narrated by series producer David Attenborough. Oprah does not have as powerful a voice as a narrator, and actually comes across as flat and boring. Compared to Attenborough she didn’t sound nearly as authoritative, which is something you’re looking for in an educational program such as this. Special features include behind-the-scenes documentaries, deleted scenes, and more. Series **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
More New DVD releases this week: Blood Ties: The Complete Series (Blu-ray), Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years, Bananas, Pep Squad, Class of Nuke Em High (Blu-ray)
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
Top image: A scene from The Wolfman. Courtesy Universal Pictures.
